Kirkuk witnesses calm after violent clashes
Protesters blocking a road in Kirkuk, Iraq. Photo: AFP
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Police sources in the city of Kirkuk, north of Baghdad, mentioned on Sunday that the curfew imposed last night had ended and the road between the city and Erbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq had been opened.
The sources reported that the death toll caused by the violence in Kirkuk had risen to four civilians, and 15 others were injured.
The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, issued directions on Saturday to impose a curfew in the city to prevent the escalation of violence.
A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) mentioned that Al-Sudani called on all political parties to ward off strife and maintain security and stability in Kirkuk governorate.
Al-Sudani also called for postponing the handover of the Iraqi army’s headquarters in Kirkuk to the Peshmerga forces of the Kurdistan Democratic Party until further notice.
The Iraqi Army Chief of Staff met with local security leaders to discuss how to contain the tension, confirming that security forces will arrest individuals compromising security in Kirkuk or possessing weapons.
Violent clashes broke out on Saturday night in Kirkuk between Kurdish demonstrators and security forces when protesters headed to the headquarters of the Joint Operations Command to demand an end to the sit-in organized by Iraqis rejecting the return of the Kurdistan Democratic Party to its headquarters in Kirkuk.
According to the demonstrators, this sit-in blocked a public road linking Kirkuk and Erbil.